(a)
The Department of Health and Human Services shall attempt to locate absent
parents for the purpose of establishing paternity of and/or securing support
for dependent children. The Department is to serve as a registry for the
receipt of information which directly relates to the identity or location of
absent parents, to assist any governmental agency or department in locating an
absent parent, to answer interstate inquiries concerning deserting parents, and
to develop guidelines for coordinating activities with any governmental
department, board, commission, bureau or agency in providing information
necessary for the location of absent parents.

(b)
In order to carry out the responsibilities imposed under this Article, the
Department may request from any governmental department, board, commission,
bureau or agency information and assistance. All State, county and city
agencies, officers and employees shall cooperate with the Department in the
location of parents who have abandoned and deserted children with all pertinent
information relative to the location, income and property of such parents,
notwithstanding any provision of law making such information confidential.
Except as otherwise stated in this subsection, all nonjudicial records
maintained by the Department pertaining to child-support enforcement shall be
confidential, and only duly authorized representatives of social service agencies,
public officials with child-support enforcement and related duties, and members
of legislative committees shall have access to these records. The payment
history of an obligor pursuant to a support order may be examined by or
released to the court, the obligor, or the person on whose behalf enforcement
actions are being taken or that person's designee. Income and expense
information of either parent may be released to the other parent for the
purpose of establishing or modifying a support order.

(c)
Notwithstanding any other provision of law making such information
confidential, an employer doing business in this State or incorporated under
the laws of this State shall provide the Department with the following
information upon certification by the Department that the information is needed
to locate a parent for the purpose of collecting child support or to enforce an
order for child support: full name, social security account number, date of
birth, home address, wages, existing or available medical, hospital, and dental
insurance coverage, and number of dependents listed for tax purposes.

(c1)
Employment verifications. - For the purpose of establishing, enforcing, or
modifying a child support order, the amount of the obligor's gross income may
be established by a written statement signed by the obligor's employer or the
employer's designee or an Employee Verification form produced by the Automated
Collections Tracking System that has been completed and signed by the obligor's
employer or the employer's designee. A written statement signed by the employer
of the obligor or the employer's designee that sets forth an obligor's gross
income, as well as an Employee Verification form signed by the obligor's
employer or the employer's designee, shall be admissible evidence in any action
establishing, enforcing, or modifying a child support order.

(d)
Notwithstanding any other provision of law making this information
confidential, including Chapter 53B of the General Statutes, any utility company,
cable television company, or financial institution, including federal, State,
commercial, or savings banks, savings and loan associations and cooperative
banks, federal or State chartered credit unions, benefit associations,
insurance companies, safe deposit companies, money market mutual funds, and
investment companies doing business in this State or incorporated under the
laws of this State shall provide the Department of Health and Human Services
with the following information upon certification by the Department that the
information is needed to locate a parent for the purpose of collecting child
support or to establish or enforce an order for child support: full name,
social security number, address, telephone number, account numbers, and other
identifying data for any person who maintains an account at the utility
company, cable television company, or financial institution. A utility company,
cable television company, or financial institution that discloses information
pursuant to this subsection in good faith reliance upon certification by the
Department is not liable for damages resulting from the disclosure.

(e)
Subsection (d) of this section shall not apply to telecommunication utilities
or providers of electronic communication service to the general public.

(f)
There is established the State Child Support Collection and Disbursement Unit.
The duties of the Unit shall be the collection and disbursement of payments
under support orders for all cases. The Department may administer and operate
the Unit or may contract with another State or private entity for the
administration and operation of the Unit. (1975, c. 827, s. 1; 1977, 2nd Sess., c. 1186, s. 15;
1987, c. 591; 1991, c. 419, s. 1; 1995, c. 538, s. 4; 1997-433, ss. 8.1, 9.1;
1997-443, s. 11A.118(a); 1998-17, s. 1; 1999-293, s. 22; 2000-140, s. 20(b);
2001-237, ss. 5, 6; 2003-288, s. 3.1.)